Kravitz: Jim Irsay fighting for his life, needs help

In a twisted way, Jim Irsay's friends have been praying for this day. They've been praying for the day when he'd reach rock bottom and be forced to come to terms with a drug problem that he's battled for some time.

There was a sad inevitability to what happened Sunday night in Carmel. Irsay faces four felony counts after being arrested on preliminary charges of driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance. For years, Colts insiders have known that Irsay was struggling again with drugs. For years, they fought to get him into rehab. At the very least, they fought to get him a driver in the hopes of keeping him from getting behind the wheel.

The Colts have been cleaning up Irsay's messes for years now. Time and again, Irsay dismissed the concerns of his close friends and confidants, even if his increasingly gaunt physical appearance sent up red flags throughout the community.

I asked him two months ago about his weight loss, which has brought him from 235 pounds to 165, and he insisted the doctors wanted him to lose weight to keep the strain off his troublesome back and hip.

I suspected otherwise.

Those of us who are around Irsay on a semi-regular basis suspected otherwise for a very long time.

That's a fair question. But it's much like the baseball players during the steroid era. Suspicions cannot be the basis for news stories. My feeling all along has been, "Unless he gets arrested for drugs, or acts erratically in a public setting while obviously under the influence, it will remain nothing more than an educated guess."

Now he's been arrested.

The game has changed.

That was hammered home Monday afternoon as a bunch of media waited outside the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. Around 1:30, Irsay and his lawyer, Jim Voyles, appeared and got into a car without comment. Irsay looked tired, beaten, his face blotchy. It was a sad sight but not a surprising one.

He has two big problems, besides the obvious drug issue: He's crazy rich, and he has lots of free time. That is a dangerous cocktail for a man with a genetic predisposition to substance abuse.

That doesn't make him a bad man, just a troubled one, one who has been in and out of rehab on multiple occasions, one who needs to get himself some help again if he wants to be alive for the Colts' next Super Bowl.

This is not written in anger. It's written with compassion — although if he'd hurt someone while driving, it would take on a different tone. This is a man in the throes of addiction, a disease he's been fighting for years and years with mixed results.

Now comes the wake-up call.

Do you hear it, Jim? Do you hear it? Or do you press the snooze button and continue on this downward spiral?

There's no shame. There's no embarrassment. Fact is, if Irsay gets the help he needs, he'd be a public beacon for the multitudes who also need help with alcohol and drugs. Just as Chuck Pagano has taken the lead in finding a cure for cancer and more specifically leukemia, Irsay can be a guiding light for those in the grips of addiction.

As a secondary issue, there's now the question of what Commissioner Roger Goodell will do once he collects all the pertinent information. I can promise you the NFL Players Association will watch this closely. Will the commissioner come down as hard on Irsay as he does the league's players? In 2010, Detroit Lions President Tom Lewand drew a 30-day suspension, $100,000 fine and performed community service after pleading guilty to driving while impaired. It wouldn't shock me if Goodell suspends or metes out some sort of harsh punishment against Irsay.

At this point, Irsay needs to temporarily abdicate control of the team to either Pete Ward, his longtime right-hand man, or one of his daughters, who are learning the business so they can one day take over the team. He's got more important business to take care of than worrying about the team's next free-agent acquisition. With or without Irsay, it shouldn't change very much about the short-term, day-to-day operations of the franchise. Irsay lets his football people take care of that end of the business. He is involved, but mostly as a sounding board, providing the final OK when Ryan Grigson wants to make a move.

Again, though, that's secondary.

Based on several conversations with team officials and friends, this is a man fighting for his life.

The Colts will raffle off five Super Bowl rings to raise money for charity.The Indianapolis Colts will host a unique ãBlue Tuesdayä party on Monument Circle with live music, cheerleader autographs, Colts give-a-ways and more. The event will serve as the backdrop for a surprise announcement at 12:00 p.m. from Colts Owner Jim Irsay regarding a once in a lifetime opportunity for Colts fans across Indiana. 10/30/2007. Alan Petersime/Indianapolis Star
Alan Petersime Indianapolis Star

Colts owner Jim Irsay talks about the 40th anniversary of the Irsay family owning the Colts franchise in his office at the Colts complex on Thursday, October 6, 2011. (Matt Detrich / The Star)
Matt Detrich

FACES TELL THE STORY: The long awaited announcement that quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts were parting ways was a very difficult one by both Manning, left, and team owner Jim Irsay, at the Colts Complex on W. 56th Street in Indianapolis on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. Irsay said that it was "the conclusion of Peyton's playing career with the Colts" and he wanted to "honor all the incredible memories." Manning, who said he doesn't want to retire, said, "I still want to play. There's no other team I've ever wanted to play for. Nobody's had it better than I have, playing for the Indianapolis Colts these 14 years." He also said, "It's certainly been emotional. It's weighed heavy on my heart. But I am at peace with it." Charlie Nye / The Star
Charlie Nye Indianapolis Star

Luck listens as he is introduced at the press confrence by Colts owner Jim Irsay. This is from the Colts draft party at Lucas Oil Stadium Friday April 27, 2012 where number one draft pick Andrew Luck spoke to the media and then to a crowd of fans. Rob Goebel/The Star.
Rob Goebel Indianapolis Star

Former Indianapolis Colts running backs Eric Dickerson, left, and Marshall Faulk stand with owner Jim Irsay after being inducted into the "Ring of Honor" during halftime of the game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, December 15, 2013, at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Brent Drinkut/The Star

Quarterback Peyton Manning, of Tennissee, holds holds up an Indianapolis Colts jersey as he is flanked by Colts owner Jim Irsay, left, and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue Saturday, April 18, 1998, in New York after being chosen by the Colts as the No. 1 pick in the in draft Saturday. (AP Photo/Adam Nadel)
ADAM NADEL AP

Colts Owner Jim Irsay, who is known for his fondness for rock and roll, climbed on stage with his guitar Saturday at his pre-Super Bowl party in Miami. His friend, Stephen Stills, was among the all-star band that backed him up as he covered Bob Seger's "Turn the Page." Cathy Kightlinger/The Star
Cathy Kightlinger

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning holds the 2010 MVP trophy while standing with Colts President Bill Polian and Colts owner Jim Irsay before the start of Sunday's pre-season game against the San Francisco 49ers on August 15, 2010. The Colts lost 37-17. (Matt Detrich / The Star)
Matt Detrich

Pictured here, Jim Irsay playing the Martin guitar that was a gift from freind, Singer songwrighter Stephen Stills. For a Cathy Kightlinger story on The Irsay Collection exhibit at the Indiana State Museum (Winter 2011-2012). Frank Espich/The Star
Frank Espich Indianapolis Star

Casey Coyle Irsay, 25, goofs off with her father, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, for a picture at the Colts Complex on W. 56th Street on Thursday, September 25, 2008. She is a vice president with the Colts and is being groomed by her father for a bigger role with the organization. (Charlie Nye / The Star).
Charlie Nye Indianapolis Star

Susan Williams (left) with Indiana Sports Corp,, Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Governor, Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor, Greg Ballard, on the front row during the Wednesday morning, July 18, 2012, news conference at Lucas Oil Stadium, for the official announcement of the economic impact for Super Bowl XLVI. the Mayor made it official as well that he has put Indianapolis in for the bid for Super Bowl LII in 2018. (Frank Espich/The Star)
Frank Espich Indianapolis Star

6/8/1984 -- Irsay the Guitarist --- Jim Irsay (right) hits a rock 'n' roll beat on the guitar at the Vogue night club. He played with Bob Kevoian (left), a WFBQ disc jockey, and Colts cinematographer Marty Hecksher. Several members of the Colts, including coach Frank Kush, were in the audience.
Rich Miller photo